SCE Fails To Explain Why It Shut Off Power To Paradise Cove, Pt Dume, Last Halloween
Written by 991KBU on November 29, 2019
Southern California Edison has filed its mandatory report … on those power outages that they gave us back at Halloween.
You may remember that Edison cut the power to most of Point Dume … Paradise Cove and Ramirez Canyon areas for a day.
Residents were a little perplexed and more than a little angry … that the power company cut the power after the winds had already died down.
And the power was out for about 19 hours … during a time when the winds had already stopped blowing.
It was an intentional act … a power outage designed to prevent Edison overhead equipment from causing fires if the wind blows it down.
The California Public Utilities Commission requires Edison to file a report 10 business days after an intentional power cut.
Edison filed late …
And in its report … it fails to explain why the power had to be cut.
In fact … it lumps Malibu in with 89 other intentional power outages elsewhere in California and gives a boilerplate explanation … it was windy.
The state requires Edison describe the “decision criteria leading to de-energization.” That is missing from the Edison report.
The state requires Edison to explain the submit “a detailed description of the steps the utility used to restore power.”
That is missing from the Edison report.
The state requires Edison to explain how it could separate out underground wires … like in the two mobile home parks … from the overhead wires that are in danger of catching fire.
That is missing from the Edison report.
The state requires that Edison to “explain how the utility determined that the benefit of de-energization outweighed potential public safety risks (and) lessons learned from the de-energization event.”
Not in the Edison report.
An Edison spokesman tells KBUU that … and we quote … “it would be very hard and, in some instances, impossible to get the level of operational detail for these emerging events.”
The state regulations do bot give Edison any hardship exemption.
The regulations are clear.
Edison has been given the obligation to deliver safe and reliable electric power … under state law.
Edison has also been given the authority to turn off that power when the system gets unreliable … in high winds.
But with that authority ….Edison has been ordered to explain exactly why each circuit is switched off …. and why it takes so long to switch back on after the winds go away.
The parent company of KBUU … Zuma Beach FM Broadcasters …. was affected by the blackout.
The company has filed a formal complaint against SCE …. and its lack of transparency.
In that filing … the company contends that Edison is abusing the public trust … by failing to provide the public with the details of the threat … as required by the CPUC.
As for Edison… their spokesman says … again we quote … we stand by the post-event report … and the level of detail there.
